1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to electrical conduit and fittings and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for the repair and replacement of damaged conduit fittings and also relates to installation of electrical conduit in new construction.
Conduit is generally installed by electricians at the site of electrical equipment installation. Its use, form and installation details are often specified by wiring regulations such as the U.S. National Electrical Code (NEC) or other local codes. The term conduit is commonly used by electricians to describe any system that contains electrical wiring or conductors.
Electrical conduit provides necessary protection to enclosed wiring from impact, moisture and chemical vapors. When installed with proper sealing fittings, a conduit will not permit the flow of flammable gases and vapors, which provides protection from fire and explosion hazard in areas handling volatile substances.
It is not uncommon for conduit and fittings installed on electrical equipment to be damaged during building construction or during remodeling by movement of building materials on the worksite, vehicular impacts or other accidental contact requiring repair and/or replacement of the conduit and fittings. Further, the exposure of conduit and fittings to inclement weather causes corrosion and degradation necessitating replacement of such fittings to avoid an unsafe condition.
In the conventional practice to repair or replace damaged conduit fittings, the electrical power must be turned off and existing wiring disconnected and pulled from the conduit to remove the damaged fitting. Thereafter, the conduit fitting is replaced and the wiring must be routed though the new conduit and/or fitting and reconnected often causing extensive disruption of electrical service until the repair is complete. This results in substantial down time of the affected residential and/or commercial equipment and expensive labor costs to complete the repairs.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus for repair and replacement of damaged conduit fittings, which will reduce the time and expense involved in completing such repairs and restoring service.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
Prior art patents are available, which include information that may be helpful in understanding the advantages of the present invention, and should be considered by the Patent Office with respect to this application.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,987 to Hunder et al. discloses a split-sleeve sheet metal pipe coupling useful in joining or repairing pipes comprising two stamped sheet metal casings which together form a cylinder and which have inclined flanges and pipe receiving guides for clamping the casings around a pipe. The casings include inwardly directed indentations for spacing the casings away from the pipe thereby forming a circumferential mold cavity adapted to receive a sealant between the pipe and the casing necessary to complete the repair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,666 to Kyfes discloses a pipe fitting for encompassing a conduit comprising a pair of interlocking segments wherein each segment comprises an arcuate configuration having at least two longitudinal edges with one edge of each segment comprising a tongue split longitudinally in a direction substantially perpendicular to its length. The other of the edges comprising a groove conforming to and receiving the tongue formed on the juxtaposed edge of the other of the segments causing the tongue to engage with the groove thereby interlocking the segments of the pipe fitting together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,096 to King discloses a pipe repair coupling comprising a pair of semi-circular separate and independent coupling segments. Each segment is identical in cross section, length and width. When coupled together along one elongated edge in a snap fit relationship, the interconnected segments may be placed about a cylindrical pipe to repair a hole therein and then squeezed together to lock along the other free elongated edges thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,719 B1 to Smith et. al. discloses a pipe repair clamp for repairing a damaged pipe member wherein shell members are matingly engaged around the damaged pipe. Segmented inserts are received in a complementary annular channel formed in an inside face of the shell members to form a ring assembly supporting annular seals between the ring assembly and the damaged pipe member. A shell-sealing annular channel is formed between the ring assembly and the shell member to receive a liquid sealant necessary to complete the repair to form an annular seal between the ring assembly and the shell members.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose the present Electrical Conduit Installation System and Method of Use, which allows the relatively simple replacement of damaged conduit bodies of various configurations within a preexisting residential or commercial equipment installation. In the present invention the replacement process is accomplished using standard tools without the need for disconnection and withdrawal of wiring from such damaged conduit body that is typically required to remove a conventional conduit fitting.